


Sarge

by Lucy_Ferrier



Series: marvel drabbles [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Therapy Dog, also the panic attack is barely described if that sort of thing upsets you, and a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22628881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Ferrier/pseuds/Lucy_Ferrier
Summary: Bucky gets a dog
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Series: marvel drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695469
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	Sarge

Sam likes to volunteer at animal shelters in his spare time. It calms him, gives him something to focus on when his mind desperately wants to race back and forth to places he desperately doesn’t want to see anymore.

There’s a six-year-old three-legged German Shepard, who arrives two weeks after he starts volunteering at the shelter closest to his DC apartment. She’s a mature girl, and was a fully qualified therapy dog to an old world-war-two veteran, until he had tearfully had given her up when his dementia had forced him into a nursing home. She is calm where the other dogs whine and howl, but her head whips up each and every time the bell on the front door rings with a hopeful look, followed by a disappointed sigh. Sam likes her. He likes her a lot. Sam is, first and foremost, a counsellor, a helper, and on top of everything else there is to like about the old girl, he knows the value of a good therapy dog. And besides, she lost her left front leg in a car accident when she was two, and her name is Sergeant, and she makes him think of Bucky. She is the first dog he says hello to when he arrives, and she makes a point of sighing loudly and sadly when Sam leaves at the end of each day.

“Oi Barnes, wha’d’you think of dogs?” Sam asks the next time he invites himself over to Bucky’s apartment. Bucky looks up from where he’s fending Alpine off from his rather sad and soggy looking cornflakes.

Bucky is, first and foremost, a cat person. But as with most cat people, he doesn’t actually mind dogs. He likes when they’re funny and goofy and loyal to a fault, and how they’re excited to see you no matter what. Which is what he tells Sam in not as many words and Sam grins, and Bucky gets a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Whilst he’s busy concerning himself with Sam, Alpine steals his coffee, and Sam pulls him out the door in a rush.

Bucky isn’t sure why Sam is all but dragging him to the animal shelter. Sam, for his part, isn’t saying any more than a vague but excited “I’ve got something to show you” and stubborn silence, which reminds Bucky of the more infuriating parts of Steve, and passive-aggressively decides he needs better taste in friends.

Sam leads Bucky up to the back where Sergeant is housed, her chin resting gently on her paw, completely still but for how her tail thumps wildly against the ground.

“My friend would like to meet Sarge please,” Sam says to the lady at the front desk, and Bucky finally starts to put two and two together. He glares daggers, in full winter soldier glory, at the back of Sam’s head, who ignores him as Sergeant’s crate is opened up. He’s lucky the dog is cute because there are few things Bucky hates more than surprises, and he reminds Sam of such with a growl. Sam rolls his eyes.

“This. Is Sergeant.” Sam introduces with a flourish. “And this cranky fucker,” He says shooting Bucky a look, “Is Bucky.”

Bucky shoots Sam one last mostly half-hearted glare before squatting down in front of Sergeant and holding out a hand for her. She pulls herself up and lollops happily over to him and sniffs his hand politely. When Bucky proceeds to scratch behind her ears she leans so heavily into him that she threatens to fall over, and a smile finally had the audacity to grace Bucky’s features.

A car backfires relatively close by, and Bucky flinches violently, face going equally white and blank as he tries to maintain his previously steady breathing. But suddenly Sergeant is there, paw on Bucky’s knee, alternately licking persistently at his chin and butting her head against his hand as if to say “look at me, focus on me, I’m here, I’m here, just focus on me”. Distantly Bucky is aware that Sam is also crouched beside him counting breaths and easing him through the panic attack as his breathing evens out again. Bucky buries his fingers into Sergeant’s fur and methodically strokes over and over and takes a final deep breath. Sam grips his shoulder, silently asking if he’s okay and Bucky nods and offers a grimace. Sam nods and gets up.

“How much is she?”

“I never actually said I wanted a dog,” Bucky mutters as he lowers himself fully onto the ground and pulls Sergeant into his lap. Alpine was not going to be impressed with him when he got home.

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so this is not my best writing. it's a touched-up version of a drabble I wrote at 1 am and posted to tumblr a few months ago. but it's based on an idea I've had since well before endgame came out, because if no one is going to go to therapy, then they're getting a dog instead. also sometimes I think I'm funny


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